Federated Telecoms Hubs (FTH) used Connected Britain 2026 to strengthen engagement with contacts across industry, academia and government over the two days at ExCeL London.
There, we received recognition of our work in Minister Ian Murray’s speech, showcased cutting-edge research from across our four hubs (CHEDDAR, HASC, JOINER & TITAN), and contributed to a broad range of panels across the two days.
Government recognition for research innovation
On his first outing as the minister responsible for Telecoms, Ian Murray, Minister of State in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), set out the Government’s commitment to advanced connectivity as one of the six frontier technologies backed by its 10-year Industrial Strategy. This includes £370m of R&D funding across the innovation ecosystem – from early-stage research to spin-outs and scale-ups.
The Minister confirmed that ~£140m had been awarded to UK telecoms innovations since April. This includes further investment in the Future Connectivity Hubs led by the University of Cambridge, the University of Bristol, Imperial and the University of Oxford.
Professor Harald Haas, FTH Lead Co-Director at the University of Cambridge, said:
“Connected Britain has provided an excellent platform to showcase how FTH helps research from all four UK Future Connectivity Hubs reach the market, through a shared IP pool, active engagement in standardisation, a dedicated investor bench and support for proof-of-concept projects. Our conversations with operators, vendors and policymakers over the two days confirmed a real appetite to turn UK connectivity research into commercial impact.”
Speaking programme
The FTH leadership team and partners had a strong presence across the Connected Britain programme:
- The AI-driven city: optimising urban services with data and connectivity, Prof. Julie McCann (Imperial | CHEDDAR)
- Smart buildings and the intelligent home, Prof. Julie McCann (Imperial | CHEDDAR)
- Connecting the crowd: delivering flawless coverage in high-density venues, Prof. Harald Haas (University of Cambridge | TITAN) & Prof. Dimitra Simeonidou OBE (University of Bristol | JOINER)
- Open RAN and cloudification: moving from trials to mass deployment in the UK, Prof. Dimitra Simeonidou OBE (University of Bristol | JOINER)
- Defining 6G: The UK’s role in shaping future services and spectrum, Prof. Simon Cotton (Queen’s University Belfast | HASC)
On the stands
The FTH and JOINER stands showcased research and proof-of-concept work from across CHEDDAR, HASC, JOINER and TITAN.
TITAN presented optical transceivers with built-in sensing for real-time network protection, exploring how security monitoring can be embedded directly into network hardware rather than added afterwards. CHEDDAR showcased a radar-based contactless stethoscope for 6G-enabled healthcare, demonstrating how next-generation connectivity can support remote and non-invasive patient monitoring. HASC presented work by teams at Liverpool and Queen’s University Belfast securing Wi-Fi connectivity using radio-frequency fingerprints, which uses the unique characteristics of a device’s radio signal to strengthen wireless network security. JOINER’s demonstrations focused on the future of connectivity, covering smarter spectrum, AI at the network edge and non-terrestrial networks.
Over the two days, FTH engaged with hundreds of visitors across countless conversations, connecting with more than 170 contacts including representatives from Vodafone, BT and Nokia. Based on the organisations represented, the stand drew a cross-section of the telecoms sector:
- Vendors and technology suppliers made up the largest group, spanning network equipment, test and measurement and software companies
- Network operators, service providers and vendors such as BT, Three and Vodafone
- Government and public sector bodies, including Ofcom, UKRI, Innovate UK and several local authorities
- Consultancies, systems integrators and analysts
This spread of visitors reflects FTH’s position at the intersection of research, industry and policy, strengthening engagement across the advanced connectivity ecosystem.
What’s next
Over the coming months, the FTH team will follow up with the organisations we met at Connected Britain to explore collaboration opportunities across the Future Connectivity Hubs. We will also continue to develop our shared IP pool, standardisation engagement, investor bench and proof-of-concept programme.
Get involved
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About FTH
As part of the UK’s Future Connectivity Hubs, Federated Telecoms Hubs (FTH) works across CHEDDAR, HASC, JOINER and TITAN to accelerate the translation of research into commercial impact. FTH unites the excellence of 35 leading UK universities and research institutions to drive breakthrough telecoms innovation.
FTH receives significant funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and is backed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
